Soltz in Beijing, his partners in… bars

By Athena Papakosta

The German chancellor is visiting Beijing today and is facing accusations that he is putting German economic interests ahead of the European Union’s strategic priorities.

It is Olaf Scholz’s first visit to China as German Chancellor on a diplomatically sensitive trip as Berlin and Brussels have recently been looking for a new strategy towards Beijing with the aim of reducing Europe’s dependence on the “Red Dragon”.

THE Xi Jinping is waiting for him and the German chancellor is making sure that he does not go to the Chinese capital empty-handed. Instead. A few days ago, the German government approved the agreement acquisition of 24.9% of the Port of Hamburg from the Chinese shipping giant, Cosco. The reactions of his government partners, the Greens and the Liberals, as well as the Americans, were preceded by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs underlining that Washington has “no right” to interfere “in Chinese cooperation with Germany”.

“As far as China is concerned, it seems that Scholz continues Merkel’s ‘business first’ approach with most in Europe concluding that the German chancellor is proceeding with the “Germany First” doctrine, says Torsten Bohner, director of the Global Public Policy Institute in Berlin. It is no coincidence, analysts note, that he chooses to travel with him managers of leading German companies (BASF, Siemens, Volkswagen).

For his part, a high-ranking official of the German government noted, addressing journalists, that Scholz’s 24-hour visit to Beijing is an “exploratory trip” in order to form “a more complete picture of where China stands, where it intends to go.” and what kind of joint collaborations are possible in the present world condition”. However, the “green” German foreign minister is not convinced and remains cautious. Speaking to the German television channel ARD, Analena Burbock said she fears that “the mistake Germany made in recent years with Russia may be repeated” and asks “not to depend again on a country with which we do not share the same values”. .

THEPolitical relations between Berlin and Beijing are complex, however, their economic relations have flourished.

“Current Sino-German relations can be characterized as cold politically and hot economically,” notes Sting Chun, head of the Center for European Studies at China’s Fudan University. Indeed, in 2021 China was for the sixth consecutive year Germany’s largest trading partner, the top source of its imports and the second most important destination for its exports.

At the same time, shocks are also registered at the European level.

A few weeks before, the president of France, Emmanuel Macron, had proposed to his German counterpart that they travel together to China so that Beijing could verify the political unity of the EU and not try to exploit the economic interests of the Member States by turning one against it. elsewhere. Solz seems to have refused and now even goes so far as to defend in writing his choice to conduct this trip, at this particular time and indeed… without any other European leader at his side.

In an article published simultaneously in Politico and the German newspaper Frankfurter Allegemeine Zeitung, the German chancellor makes it clear that he is traveling as a “European in Beijing” and emphasizes that: “German China policy can only be successful when it is integrated into European policy pertaining to the country.

Indeed, in his attempt to put an end to the criticism that he is promoting Germany’s economic interests, Scholz states that, “Germany, which has experienced the painful experience of division during the Cold War, is not interested in facing new blocks to emerge in the world”. In this way, he criticizes Washington, adding that Beijing’s economic situation “does not justify any call for the isolation of China”. At the same time, the representative of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Zhao Lijian, said that Solz’s visit “will give breath and impetus” to the development of “a strategic cooperation” between the two countries and will contribute “to global peace, stability and the development”.

For Berlin, Beijing looks less like a problem than part of the solution.

With this visit, Olaf Solz becomes the first Western leader to meet Xi Jinping in person since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, and also the first G7 leader to visit China at a time when its leader already secured his third term at the helm of the country.

But it is not a simple visit. There are also “thorns”. The German chancellor has to raise a series of issues in the close meeting with his Chinese counterpart. He should push Xi to put… pressure on his dear friend Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine. In addition, he owes his “green” government partner to convey human rights concerns, while he must point out to his Chinese counterpart the American objections to both the above and China’s power and position in the global game of balance.

Read the News today and get the latest news.
Follow Skai.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news.